Marking machine



Jan. 1937. y c. H. MAIBEN MARKING MACHINE Filed oct: s', 1934 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 5, 1937. r c. H. MAiBEN 2,067,092

I MARKING MACHINE Filed o'ct. a, 1934 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Jan. 5,1937 we met FPATENT ortica MARKING MACHINE Charles Henry Maiben,Logansport, Ind. Application October 8, 1934, ScralrNo. 747,433 A1'1claims. (ci. 1014321) This invention relates to -marking machines of thetype whereinthe work to. be marked lis interposed between a printingrmember mounted for movement one relative to the other. The inventionincludes aprinting head of novel construction and an Vinking mechanismautomatically manipulated'to-ink the printing type between each markingoperation.

A particular object of the invention is to provide a marking machinewhichmay be ef- 4ficiently employed in laundrywandcleaningestablishments to identify single or grouplotsrof -articles as to ownerand/or service to -be performed, but the invention is capable ofapplication to marking machines generally for- VVa varietyof differenttypesof work. The above and other objects and featuresof the inventionwill be understood vfrom the illustrative machine shown in theaccompanying drawings which will be described in detail.

In the drawings: Fig. l is a View in side elevation of a marking machineembodying the invention;

Fig. 2 isa View of the same machine taken on the line 2--2` of Fig.v1; Y

Fig. 3 is a detailed view of the printing head and the inking mechanismin operative `posi-Y tion therewith; Fig. 4 is asectional viewcorresponding to Y Fig. 3; f

Figs., 5f and 6 are sectional views taken at right angles to Figs. 3`and 4l showing different partsof the printing mechanismand operatingmechanism therefor; 'i

Fig.. '7 is a view of certain detailed elements of the printingmechanism in unassembled relation.

The machine illustrated includes a base Vmember I!) on which is mountedan inverted L supporting-frame II. Supported in the frame isa printinghead I2, hereafter to be ldescribed in detail, and underlying theprinting head secured to the base II) is a Work support I3. In laundryWork' in which the particularmachine is used, it is desirable that VAthework support or platenbe rather small and be provided with a w'orkengaging shoulder as provided by the upper end of plate I4.

It is of coursecommon in a machine such as generally described to moveeither the printing -head towards the work support or to provide astationarygprinting head Vand move the work #support upwardly intoengagement therewith.

either arrangement. In the illustrative machine the work support .I3 visstationary and the` printing head i2 is mounted for reciprocation towardand away from the worksupport. To operate the printing member the sameis .5 mounted on a rectangular block I5, slidably mounted ina shaft atthe outer end of the L frame. As will be best seen in Figures 1 and 4the Vprinting head I2V is detachably secured to the block I5 through awing bolt I6 extending 10 longitudinally through the block. Sucharrangement is to enable the printing head to be readily removedfor'purposes of cleaning or replacement. As will be seen in Figures 4and 5, pins are provided in the upper end of the 15printingrheaddengageable with slots in the abutting end of block I 5 sothat the printing head will be'frmly secured against rotation.

Any suitablemeans may be used to actuate the printing-head in itsprinting operation. Either@ a lever, motor or pedalmay connect withoperating shaft I'I (Figures 1 and 2). A pair of arms I8 pivotallyconnecting to the Slidable block I5 through pins ill riding in slots 20in the frame are hingedly supported at 2I to the 25 opposite end of theframe.Y Such `arms are conf nected through `suitable linkage with theoperatingushait` I1 in the manner illustrated in Figure 1. As the shaftmoves downwardly the arms I8 Aare depressedrtoforce the printing 30 headdownwardlytowards the Work support I3. A spring 22 surrounding shaft Iland engageable at its upper end witha collar 23 is provided so as tobecompressed by the operating rod and serve to return the printing head toits inoperative'position in spaced relation with the work supportiSpecial automatically operative means is prothe arrangement :being suchas to constantly transfer ink from arliquid source without the use ofany ink absorbent pads of felted rolls. En gageable with the type of theprinting* member, as best shown in Figure 4, is an inking roller 24preferably having a resilient rubber surface. Said rolleris supportedfor rotation in a surrounding casing 25,which casing serves to catch anysurplus ink, l.and detachably supported by means of thumb Screws 26 atthe end of a pairv50 of arms 2'I and 28. Such arms are pivotally hungfrom therframe II by suitable pins or screws 29 and so arranged as toenable the inking roller 24 tobe swung into rolling. engagement againstthe face of the type in the printing head.

An ink supply is provided in the form of an ink pot 30 secured to thebase member IIJ wherein is rotatably mounted an ink pickup roll 3| whichmay be of metal. Mounted in rolling contact with the pickup roll is anink transfer roll 32 which may be supported in ears 33 extendingupwardly from the ink pot. Roll 32 will preferably be composed ofresilient material such as rubber, the same in any event being of suchcharacter that it will readily take up ink from the roller 3| andtransfer it to the inking roller 24.

Actuating means is provided to rotate the pickup roll 3l in the ink potand therethrough effect rotation of the transfer roll 32. Secured to theouter end of the pickup roll shaft 33Y is a ratchet 34 (Figures 1 and2), and supported in opposing relation on opposite sides of the ratchetthrough independent supporting plates 35 and 39 loosely mounted on shaft33 are a pair of pawls 31 and 38, said pawls being held in yieldingengagement with the ratchet by suitable springs as shown. Connectingwith the respective pawl supporting plates 35 and 36 are arms 39 and 40which at their opposite ends are secured toy one of the actuating armsI8 of the printing member.

By the arrangement just described the ink pickup and transfer rolls 3|and 32 will be partially rotated through the reciprocation of theprinting member. Pawl 31 will be active as arm i8 is depressed and assuch arm moves upwardly pawl 38 will become active to further rotate therolls. Thus it will be evident that the two rolls are partially rotatedupon both the downward and upward movements of the printing head, thusinsuring a constant fresh supply of ink during the entire period ofoperation of the machine.V A

The supporting arms 21 are so arranged and balanced that the inkingroller carried thereby can be swung out of engagement with the type yofthe printing member into contact with the ink transfer roll 32. Theguard casing 25 surrounding the inking roller is provided at its upperend with a slot 4I (see Figures 3 and 5) suiiiciently wide that theroller may engage the transfer roll and the type of the printing memberat the opposite ends of its reciprocatory path.

To swing the inking roller into engagement Iwith the type of theprinting member, use is made of the movement of the printing member asit withdraws from the Work support. As the printing head l2 retractsupwardly, a pair of ears 42 secured thereon engage fingers 43 pivotallysupported on the frame. Such fingers are thereby caused to bear againstrollers 44 supported by offset portions 45 of arms 21. The same heavyspring 22 which causes the printing head to move upwardly therebyoperates through the mechanism just described to cause the inking rollerto swing with a rolling contact across the face of the type of theprinting head. As the printing head is depressed towards the worksupport ngers 43 and hence the swinging arms 21 are released to causethe inking roller to fall away from the type and out of the operatingpath of the printing member.

It is of course possible to provide positive linkage operating throughthe arms 21 to swing the inking roller from the printing member overinto engagement with the ink transfer roll 32. Special advantages,however, are gained by employing instead a low tension spring 45anchored to a suitable point on the frame and connecting a slot 55 andrigid on a shaft 56.

with the arms 21 at a point removed from their pivot 29. Whatever meansis employed to swing the inking roller 24 into engagement with thetransfer roll, it will be appreciated that since the roller is rotatablymounted in its casing 25 it will engage the rotating transfer roll 32with a rolling contact so as to constantly present a new surface theretoand also to the printing type when it is again thrown into engagementwith the printing head.

Since the fingers 43 are released as the printing head is depressed, thespring 46 snaps the swinging arms 21 rearwardly, and because of theyielding character of the spring the initial contact of the inkingroller 24 with the transfer roll 32 will be followed by a repercussionunder which the inking roller on its arms will bounce back and forthinto and out of contact with the transfer roll. This intermittentcontact and oscillating action will of course be of limited duration,but it has the important function of preventing the inking roller fromtaking up an excess of ink from the transfer roll such as might spoilthe work if applied to the printing type. The bouncing or oscillatingaction just described will of course be enhanced where either thetransfer roll 32 or the inking roller 24 are made of a yieldingcomposition such as rubber.

The printing head is particularly constructed for identification workand comprises a plurality of type discs each bearing a series ofcharacters. Essentially, the arrangement is one where cer- 'tain discsare interdependent and changeable through a common control mechanismwhile one or more other type discs mounted in cooperative printingrelation with the interdependent series are capable of adjustmentthrough separate control mechanism. In the particular embodiment shownin Figures 3 through 6, three discs 41, 48, and 49, each bearing aseries of nurnbers from zero to nine are arranged in interdependentrelation to produce the units, tenths and hundredths figures of athree-figure number from 000 to 999. An independently changeable disc 50is provided in association with the other discs of the group.

Each of the discs 41, 48, and 49 is provided with a narrow ratchet 5I atthe side of its type rcharacters somewhat smaller than the periphery ofthe disc. The ratchets for the respective discs will be of graduateddiameter, the units disc 41 having the largest ratchet, the hundredthsdisc being appreciably smaller, and the tenths disc having a ratchet ofintermediate size. As shown in Figure 4, all of the discs are mounted ina recess 52 in the printing head I2 and freely supported on a shaft 53.

The control of the number discs is effected through suitable actuatingmechanism which may take the form of a hand lever 54 seating in Saidshaft 56 is supported by a screw or pin 51 and has a flat enlargement 58in the disc recess 52 adjacent disc 41 and provided beyond the peripheryof the discs with an axial extension 59. Supported by the extension 59through a pin G is a pawl plate 6I, best shown in Figure 7 having threepawls 62, 63, and 64 adapted to engage respectively the ratchets ofdiscs 41, 48, and 49.

of will through shaft` 56 and parts 58 Vand 59 swing the pawlplate-BI tochange the discs.

As heretofore pointed out, the ratchets of Vthe three discs 41, 48, and49 are `off progressively diminishing diameter. Their correspondingpawls, however, are of uniform dimensions so that except at certaintimes the units disc 41 will be the only one rotated by operation of thelever through engagement of pawl 6,2.V such conditions pawls 63 and 64willY ride free of the ratchets ci discs 48 and V49. The ratchet of eachdisc will have a notch corresponding to every character thereon which inthe embodiment described will be ten. Y

In discs 41 and 448 notch 66, corresponding in position to the typenumeral 9, will be deeper than the remainingnotches of said ratchets,that of ratchet 48 being the deeper of the two. The arrangementdescribed enables Ythe units disc 41 through the pawl 82 to be rotatedaround to the number'9 without yactuation of discs 48 and 49. The ,pawl62 will at that time engage the deep notch66 in the ratchet of disc 41to allow the pawl plate 6l to bring pawl 63 into engagement with theratchet of disc 48. 'Ihe next movement of the control lever 54 willthereupon move disc 41 and simultaneously bring up the numeral I on disc48. Such operation will, of course, release pawl 62 from the deep notch66 in the ratchet off disc 41 and thereupon throw pawl 63 out ofengagement with the pawl of disc 48 until disc 41 has been againcompletely rotated.

The operative relation between disc 49 and disc 48 is the same asbetween that of disc 48 and 41 ,just described. That is to say, discs 41and 38 must be rotated until the number 99 appears, at which time thedeep notches' in the ratchets of these two discs will be in registry toallow thepawl finger 64 to engage the ratchet of'disc t9. i

kBy the operating arrangement just described it will beevident that byconsecutive actuation of lever 54 anynumber from 000 to 999 will bebrought into printing position in the printing head l2. Since theoperation of lever 54 is entirely independent of the operation of theprinting head I2 it. will be evident that either the same or a differentnumber may be employed in successive printing operations. To prevent undesired rotation of the various discs, a series of pivoted fingers 61engageable by a spring plate 68 are provided to yieldingly bear againstthe ratchets of Vthe various discs.

As heretofore mentioned, the printing member also includes a disc 58 inseries with the interdependent discs 41, 48, and 49. As shown in Figure4, disc 58, which'may contain letters or other indicia, is xed to the`shaft 53 which shaft is `mounted for rotation through `a knob 69. Thusthe complete printing assembly includes a cooperative group of discs 41,48, and 49 interdependently operative through one control means, lever54, and a separate character disc 58 which is independently changeablethrough a separate control means knob 69. In operation the same orconsecutive numbers may be brought up on the printing head in successiveprinting operations while the character on disc 58 may bel maintainedthe same and changed either'with or independently o-f the change in thecharacters of the other discs.

From the description herein given, it will be understood that I haveprovided a machine admirably adapted to Various types of marking Underwherein the structural arrangement of the printing member is such aswill suit various purposes and identiiication systems. I have alsoprovided fresh ink between each marking operation without.any1risk ofanl excessive quantity of ink being applied tothe type characters, orthe splattering of inkeitheron the machine or the work to `be marked. Itwill be evident to those skilled in the art that the-various novelfeatures of my machine may be carried out by variations in the detailedstructure hereindescribed and that the specific machineshown in thedrawings is merely to be taken as illustrative of one practicalapplication of the invention.

I claim:

1. A marking' machine including a printing member and a work supportingmember mounted for movement one toward and away from the other, andactuating means for the movement of said members, an ink distributingmember, a member movable in a reciprocatory path between the inkdistributing member and the printing member, an inking roller carried bythe reciprocatory member and movable therewith alternately intoengagement with the ink distributing member andthe printing member type,means producing a bouncing action and yielding intermittent contact ofthe inking roller against the distributing member when the roller is atone end of its reciprocatory path, and means for shifting the inkingroller in its path away from the distributing member and forcing' thesame into bearing engagement with the type of the printing member.

2. A.marking -machine ,including a printing member and a work supportingmember mounted for movement one toward and away from the other, andactuating means' for the movement of said members, anV inkdistributingmember, a member movable in a reciprocatory path, an inking rollercarried by the reciprocatory member and movable therewith alternatelyinto engagement with the ink distributing member and the type of theprinting member, spring means for effecting an oscillating contactbetween the inking roller and distributing member, and actuating meansfor moving the roller carrying member in its reciprocating path.

3. A marking machine including a printing member and a work supportingmember mounted for movement one toward and away from the other, andactuating means for the movement of said members, an ink distributingmember, a member movable in a reciprocatory path, an inking rollercarried by thereciprocatory member and movable therewith alternatelyinto engagement with the ink distributing member and the type oi theprinting member, spring means for shifting the inking roller across itspath to the distributing member, and positive actuating means forshifting the inking roller from the distributing member into engagementwith the printing member type.'

4. A marking machine comprising a supporting frame, a work support, aprinting member mounted in the frame for movement toward and away fromthe work support, actuating means for the printing member, an inkingroller, and cam means engageable by the printing member as the samemoves away from the work support to force the inking roller into bearingcontact with the type of the printing member.

5. A marking machine comprising a support- 15 ing frame, a work support,a printing member 'mounted in the frame for movement toward and awayfrom the work support, actuating means for the printing member, aninking roller, a swinging mounting for the inking roller suspended froma fixed pivot on the supporting frame, and means controlled by movementof the printing member to actuate said mounting and swing the inkingroller into and out of engagement with the type of the printing memberas said printing member moves away from and toward the work support.

6. A marking machine comprising a supporting frame, a work support, aprinting member mounted in the frame for movement toward and away fromthe work support, actuating means for the printing member, an inkingroller, a swinging mounting for the inking roller suspended from a fixedpivot on the supporting frame, and actuating means for said mountingincluding nngers engageable by the printing member as said printingmember moves away from the work support to swing the inking roller intoengagement with the type of the printing member.

7 A marking machine comprising a supporting frame, a work support, aprinting member mounted in the frame for movement toward and away fromthe work support, actuating means for the printing member, an inkingroller, a swinging mounting for the inking roller, a pair of fingersengageable with the printing member upon movement of the printing memberaway from the work support and operative to swing the inking roller onits mounting toward the printing member, and a spring operativev uponmovement of the printing member toward the work support to swing theinking roller out of the path of the printing member.

8. A marking machine comprising a supporting frame, a work support, aprinting member mounted in the frame for movement toward and away fromthe work support, actuating means for the printing member, a pair ofarms carrying a rotatable inking roller pivotally supported on the framefor swinging movement to and away from the type of the printing member,a pair of ii'ngers engageable by the printing member as the same movesaway from the work support and operative through said arms to swing theinking roller into bearing contact with the printing member type, an inkpot, an ink pickup roll in the pot, means for rotating the pickup rollcomprising double pawl and ratchet means connecting with the printingmember actuating means and operable upon movement of the printing memberto and away from the work support to rotate the pickup roll, an inktransfer roll mounted for constant rolling contact with the pickup rolland rotatable thereby, a spring connecting with the swinging armmounting of the inking roller and operative upon release thereof by thefingers controlled by the printing member to swing the inking rollerinto rolling contact with the ink transfer roll, said spring being ofthe low tension type and producing only a light contact between theinking roller and transfer roll and a bouncing action of the rolleragainst the roll after initial contact, thereby to prevent the transferto the inking roller of an excessive quantity of ink.

9. A marking machine comprising a supporting frame, a work support, aprinting member mounted in the frame for movement towards and away fromthe work support, actuating means for the printing member, an ink pot, arotatable ink pickup roll in the pot, a rotatable ink transfer rollmounted for rolling contact with said pickup roll, double pawl andratchet means connecting with the printing member actuating means andoperable upon movement of the printing member to and away from the worksupport to rotate the several ink rolls, a pair of arms carrying arotatable inking roller pivotally supported on the frame, and actuatingmeans for said arms operable to swing the inking roller back and forthinto rotative engagement with the ink transfer roll and the printingmember type.

10. A marking machine comprising a supporting frame, a work support, aprinting member mounted in the frame for movement towards and away fromthe work support, actuating means for the printing member, an ink supplyroll, a pair of arms carrying an inking roller pivotally supported onthe frame for swinging movement, actuating means intermittentlyengageable by the printing member as the latter is at the extreme of itspath of movement from the work support and operative through said armsto swing the inking roller into bearing contact with the printing membertype, and spring means connecting with the swinging arm mounting andoperable upon the release of the rst actuating means as the printingmember starts to move towards the work support to swing theV inkingroller with a snap action into engagement Ywith the ink supply roll.

11. A marking machine comprising a supporting frame, a work support, aprinting member mounted in the frame for movement towards and away fromthe work support, actuating means for the printing member, a pair ofarms pivotally supported on the frame for swinging movement carrying aninking roller, an ink pot, an ink pickup roll in the pot, an inktransfer roll mounted in constant rolling contact with the ink pickuproll, actuating means for the pivotally supported arms operative toswing the inking roller back and forth into rotative engagement with theink transfer roll and the printing member type, and actuating meansoperative to rotate the ink pickup roll and ink transfer rollintermittently, said means being operative during the back and forthswinging movement of the inking roller and being inoperative duringperiods when the inking roller is at the respective ends of its path ofmovement.

CHARLES HENRY MAIBEN.

